Harness.



G. A. HUMASON.

HARNESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909. r

gnumwto'c STATES ATENT @FFTQE.

GRANVILLE A. HUMASON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASaSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES W. CHAMBERLAIN, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA.

HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14., 19919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANVILLE A. HUMA- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Harness, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of the invention are, generally, the provision in a merchantable form, of a device of the class above mentioned, which shall be inexpensive to manufacture, facile in operation, and devoid of complicated parts; specifically, the provision of novel means adapted to be mounted upon the saddles of a double harness, whereby the tongue of a vehicle may be supported yieldingly from said saddles, without throwing weight upon the hame collars of the draft animals; other and further objects being made manifest hereinafter as the description of the invention progresses.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts iereinafter described, delineated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in that portion of this instrument wherein patentable novelty is claimed for certain distinctive and peculiar features of the device, it being understood, that, within the scope of what hereinafter thus is claimed, divers changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the ad vantages of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to denote corresponding parts throu houtthe several fi ures of the drawa 2:

mgs.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my invention in perspective; l ig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, parts being broken away; and Fig. 3 is an, end elevation showing in detail, the means whereby the transverse bar is united with the saddles, parts being in section.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the saddles of the harness, wherewith the belly-bands are commonly assembled, these saddles 1 being of any desired form. Mounted upon the saddles 1 are yokes 2, preferably U shaped. A. bolt 3 unites the intermediate portions of the yokes 2 with the saddles 1, and serves as a means whereby the yokes may be pivotally assembled with the saddles. The yokes 2 are slotted as denoted by the numeral -1, in

the general direction of the line of draft, to receive for free vertical movement and for rotation, trunnions 5 which outstand, ra dially, from collars 6 in which are rotatably mounted the extremities of a bar 7.

Mounted on the bar 7, intermediate its ends, is a retractile spring 9, carrying at its lower end, a chain 10, or like flexible element, the lower extremity of which is assembled with a sleeve 11 which is mounted upon the tongue 12 of the vehicle. Any means, denoted generally by the numeral 15, may be employed to connect the hames 16 with the forward extremity of the vehicle-tongue 12.

Each of the yokes 2, in one of its arms, is apertured transversely of the line of draft, to receive slidably, a pin 17 adapted to extend across the slot l of the yoke 2. This pin 17 serves as a latch to retain in place, against vertical displacement, the trunnions 5. For the actuation of this pin 17, and to hold it in place, a resilient tongue 18 is provided, one extremity of which is mounted upon the yoke, the other extremity thereof being connected with one end of the pin 17 in any suitable manner.

The advantages incident to the foregoing structures are obvious but it may be noted, primarily, that a resilient means for supporting the tongue is provided, whereby the weight of said tongue is borne by the saddles of the harness, and not by the hame collars. By this construction the efficiency of the draft animal is greatly increased and much of the galling usually attributable to the collars may be avoided. It will also be noted that the bar 7 has a wide latitude of movement with respect to the yokes 2 with which it is assembled. The said bar may move freely in the direction of its length, in the collars 6; these collars 6 may move freely vertically in the slots 4: of the yokes 2; and

the collars 6, through the medium of the trunnions 5 may rock with the bar 7, transversely of the draft line. The pins 17 may readily be withdrawn to free the bar 7 from the yokes in which it is mounted, an operation readily and quickly performed. Should one of the draft-animals fall, the bar 7 will readily be disassociated from the yoke.

The device is peculiarly adapted for work upon hillsides where one of the draft-animals commonly travels lower than the other, the device, in such case, fairly distributing the Weight of the tongue between the animals and preventing the down-hill draftanimal from bearing more than his share thereof.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. '1 he combination with the saddles of a harness; of slotted yokes mounted thereon; a bar; collars mounted upon the extremities of the bar and provided with trunnions and arranged to be freely movable in the slots in the yokes; and resilient means arranged to be terminally connected with the bar and with a vehicle tongue.

2. The combination with the saddles of a harness; of slotted yokes mounted thereon; a bar; collars slidably and rotatably mount-- ed upon the bar adjacent the ends thereof and provided with trunnions arranged to be freely movable in the slots of the yokes; and resilient means arranged to be terminally connected with the bar and with a vehicle tongue.

3. The combination with the saddles of a harness; of yokes mounted thereon; collars pivotally assembled with the yokes; a bar rotatably mounted in the collars; and resilient means arranged to be terminally connected with the bar and with a vehicle tongue.

4:. The combination with the saddles of a harness, of yokes mounted thereon and provided with upright slots; a bar uniting the yokes and arranged to be freely movable in the slots thereof; latch mechanism assembled with the yokes for limiting the movement of the bar in the slots of the yokes; and resilient means arranged to be terminally connected with the bar and With a vehicle tongue.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GRANVILLE A. HUMASON.

Witnesses E. HUME TALBERT, E. C. SCI-ILADT. 

